The original monochrome Game Boy is the elder statesman of Nintendo's handheld family, having arrived on the market back in 1989. The console became a commercial and cultural phenomenon, effortlessly casting aside its more technically-competent rivals and establishing a brand...

HAL Laborary Inc has been busy of late, bringing Kirby into the HD era with Kirby and the Rainbow Curse but also, on a much smaller scale, developing BOXBOY! for the 3DS eShop. With a Game Boy style and retro approach to puzzle solving it's charmed plenty of portable gamers, and also showed that the house of Kirby is more...

We suspect that the online multiplayer servers for Mario Kart 8 saw a handsome spike this week, with the launch of DLC Pack 2 and an update that includes the 200cc race class. It's a title that just keeps growing, and as we argued recently the arrival of non-Mario franchises points to a potential future for...

We've argued the case before that Nintendo needs to modernise and drastically improve its attitudes to modern media, in terms of YouTube and social media platforms. It's easy to be defensive of its efforts, too, but we feel some recent statistics truly highlight the folly of Nintendo's current approach...

It's becoming a trend for YouTube and web celebrities to release their own games, though in a number of cases these games come to smart devices. That was never likely to be the sole focus with Angry Video Gamer Nerd Adventures, however, as it celebrates the expletive-riddled retro 'reviewer' with...

It's now been over a month since Nintendo and DeNA announced their major corporate partnership, with one relatively short presentation blowing away the big N's apparent reticence and minimalist approach to bringing games to smart devices. The announcement brought a marked shift in strategy - we went...

Let's kick off this article with some current-day realities - not negative as such, but perhaps uncomfortable. At the moment, especially with the Wii U, Nintendo is responsible for producing the bulk of high-quality retail releases. There are partners or second-party studios producing some key efforts - like...

This week Super Smash Bros. on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS had its first DLC in the form of Mii character outfits, while on 23rd April we'll get to enjoy the Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2. We know there's more to come in Super Smash Bros. in the form of purchasable characters - Mewtwo (already available to eligible Club Nintendo...

Here's a tale of the lengths that editorial director Damien McFerran and editor Tom Whitehead went to in order to test out the new StreetPass games - StreetPass Zombies / Battleground Z and StreetPass Fishing / Ultimate Angler. Due to working in a small UK town and not Tokyo, added to...

Last year Sony Pictures was hacked, and thousands of emails were stolen and effectively used as weapons against executives, film-makers and those within that creative industry. Saucy emails were shared showing executives bashing movie stars, and there were even leaks related to talks that had taken place with regards to...

Sega's Dreamcast holds a special place in the history of home video game entertainment. It was an innovative beast, being the first home console to offer online connectivity out of the box and setting the modern trend for sourcing internal components from PC manufacturers. It also proved to be...

Earlier today Nintendo finally unveiled its full line-up for the Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2, with a whole host of lovely videos joining the announcement. We've also had a chance to go hands on with everything the DLC has to offer, including 200cc mode, to share our views on how its...

When Nintendo announced that the second Mario Kart 8 DLC pack was coming earlier than promised, we were appropriately excited. Now that we've had a chance to get to grips with everything this extra content has to offer, suffice to say we're not disappointed.
In this early look at the full DLC pack we check out the...

Family Gamer's Andy Robertson reveals why Lego fever is gripping his home

With each year of parenting comes new challenges and, it seems, a new video game craze to spend money on. After Skylanders, Disney Infinity and amiibo, this year we also have to contend with Lego Dimensions.
As you've likely seen, this offers a Toys to Life experience with...

"We have at least 5 games I would immediately want to start working on"

For those that follow the 3DS download scene closely, the recent announcement of upcoming Unity support for the New Nintendo 3DS was certainly welcome news. In the right hands the Unity engine can produce excellent, good-looking games, and is invaluable to small studios with...

Choice Provisions remains one of the most admirably eclectic yet successful developers currently plying their trade in the download scene. After coming to prominence with the BIT.TRIP series on WiiWare and other platforms, the studio changed its name from Gaijin Games and has begun...

For a decent amount of time Nintendo's been fielding questions about Unity support for the 3DS, and the answer's often been the same - it's being considered and it's a desired inclusion on the portable. The problem is the reality that the 3DS is derived of technology that was ageing even in...

When Splatoon was revealed at E3 2014, this writer was rather unimpressed, which in the clear perspective of hindsight was a very narrow-minded reaction. Eager to see more 'hits', the oddball, super colourful third-person competitive shooter seemed like a peculiar announcement - both fundamentally Nintendo-esque...

We want your thoughts on its online play, amiibo and lack of voice chat

The Wii U has a small batch of highly promising titles on the way, though only one notable arrival is currently expected worldwide in the first half of this year - Splatoon. European gamers do have Yoshi's Woolly World to look forward to on 26th June, admittedly, but that title...

In this one-off feature, Nintendo Life contributor and retro fanatic Gonçalo Lopes thinks out loud about the greatest SNES games that never were.
I have always been a bit of a dreamer. From as far as I can recall, I was always dreaming within the world of tomorrow. And speaking of dreams, how about...

Info on how mech suits will work in the game, along with online mechanics

Well, there you have it. With this latest Japanese Xenoblade Chronicles X presentation, Nintendo and developer Monolith Soft have spilled all the beans they're willing to spill before the game releases in Japan on 29th April. In the past we've seen the planet of Mira detailed,...

Can Nintendo seize LEGO dominance to replicate the Wii era of Just Dance?

Long rumoured, today finally brought official news on LEGO Dimensions, the toys-to-life project - the good news for Nintendo fans is that the late September release is confirmed for the Wii U. Admittedly LEGO games always do come to the Wii U, but in these tricky times it's...

Affordable Space Adventures arrives in the eShop today in both North America and Europe, a Wii U exclusive that makes impressive use of the GamePad and suits either solo play or co-op for three players. It's a unique arrival in various ways, and we were full of praise for it in our Affordable Space Adventures...

Imagine this.
When you check your phone in the morning, the Nintendo app is marked with a red dot.
After you check your text messages and Facebook notifications, you click the big red "N" and get to work.
Inside the app, your notifications let you know you have some extra lives for the Animal...

We're in the midst of changing times for Nintendo, perhaps of a turbulent nature, and the sands are shifting in multiple ways. In the past couple of months we've seen Nintendo partner up with DeNA to move towards bringing its core IPs to smart devices, bringing a resultant boom in share prices,...

Since it launched the official Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot page last week, Nintendo will have undoubtedly been bombarded with thousands of votes. When it comes to Super Smash Bros. there are always fighters left off the roster that many want to see, so the voting is sure to be diverse.
With votes not...

Nostalgia sells and publishers know it. You just have to look at all the reboots, Definitive and Remastered Editions out there for proof. But there are, however, some titles that cannot be modernised no matter how much companies try. Sega beat-em-up Streets of Rage is perhaps one of the best examples of such...

As sanity returns to the world of Nintendo, with many taking some time off for the Easter weekend, we thought we'd take advantage of the fact that the official Smash Bros. website is no longer creaking under excess traffic and grab some details and pretty images.
This article's in two parts - there's a gallery of the...

Nintendo's most recent Nintendo Direct broadcasts were an oddity of contradictions - a lot was revealed, but it can easily be argued that there wasn't a great deal of new content. We were excited and delighted by some of the reveals, but conversely shook our heads and felt concern with every release...

After a wait of over two and a half months, Nintendo finally gave us a fresh Nintendo Direct in which to indulge ourselves. It was interesting for a variety of reasons, not least the fact that its focus in large segments - particularly the opening and finale - was on DLC for existing blockbusters. There...

It's that time again, and before we start referring to this as the April Fools' Day Direct, let's remember that it's airing on 2nd April in regions and countries like Japan, Australia and CET parts of Europe. Nintendo will most assuredly be announcing plenty of real details, which is certainly worth...

The time has come for Club Nintendo members in North America - the last set of Elite Status rewards. It's the end of an era, and a final hurrah for everyone with a Gold or Platinum status that can be redeemed for an extra treat.
As per last year the selection consists entirely of downloads. There are...

Hoho, Happy April Fools' Day everyone! We gathered around the imaginary tree and exchanged fake gifts, laughing at the silliness of it all. LOL! That one's great! RAGE! That one's realistic enough that I want it to be true! Punches were thrown, noses bloodied.
So let's look at some of the 'Best' April...

Recent rumours of a new Toys to Life product from Lego has the internet buzzing and has made my kids put on their inventor hats. If you missed it, this is the news that Warner will team up with Lego for a new title called Lego Dimensions to compete with Skylanders, Disney Infinity and...

The delay of The Legend of Zelda on Wii U was undoubtedly disappointing for fans excited about its original 2015 release, but many reacted with a degree of acceptance - better to wait longer for a classic than have an underwhelming end result was a common refrain. We suggested the delay was perhaps good for...

The thought of a modern pro wrestling game these days is often coupled with an eye-roller. They've become as iterative as most sports games released on an annual basis - such as FIFA and Madden - but certainly have far less to offer than the examples just mentioned. What we're left with is a game that's ever-so-slightly...

There'll be a number of Nintendo fans that, if they feel so inclined, can now say "I told you so". After insisting in December 2014 that The Legend of Zelda for Wii U was on track for a 2015 release, despite bold promises of a sizeable integrated game world and innovative ideas, Eiji Aonuma released a video update stating...

With the 3DS now four years old, and now that the New Nintendo 3DS has brought us another iteration with a whole load of features, we decided it was a good time to take stock of ten definitive experiences on the system. To that end we listed 50 retail games - the eShop will have its own...

Along with a handful of other 3DS and Wii U reviews straight from Japan

Finally — this week's Famitsu has made up for the last couple of disappointing releases when it comes to juicy Nintendo news. While we still haven't heard when Bravely Second: End Layer will make it outside of Japan, that hasn't stopped Famitsu from feeding Japanese gamers...

Today brings the fourth anniversary of the Nintendo 3DS being released in North America, which is certainly a landmark to celebrate following equivalent dates for Europe and Japan. After a sketchy start the system has become an integral part of the current-day gaming landscape, leading the way as a dedicated...

The Legend of Zelda is due for release on the Wii U this year, provided the game isn't delayed. Yet, Nintendo has released very little on what we can expect from this next adventure.
We've taken a look at what footage has been released so far and picked it apart to see if we can find out any new...

While my family have well and truly been bitten by the deadly amiibo collecting bug, until now this had been the territory of my two boys rather than my daughter. Although we all play Super Smash Bros. she rarely gets the game out herself.
However, the arrival of Mario Party 10 and the related Super...

Affordable Space Adventures is one of our most eagerly anticipated Wii U exclusives of 2015, and the eShop title isn't far away - it arrives on 9th April in Europe and North America. It makes extensive use of the home console's GamePad for dual screen play, and can be tackled alone or in co-op for up to three players...

Mario Party 10, as the name makes very clear, is just the latest in one of Nintendo's most substantial franchises. Especially frequent on the GameCube, it's evidently achieved a good degree of success and remains a mainstay on Nintendo hardware, with the home console entries being...

Our resident writing aficionado Ron and video guru Alex both got a chance to try their hands at a preview build of Splatoon recently, and despite writing an official preview, they felt they had more to say on a more personal note. We've made them scrawl out a few words to help explain just...

It's tempting to look back and think of Nintendo and Sega as long-standing rivals, and that was certainly the case during 8-bit and 16-bit era until the shock announcement that Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games was coming to the Wii. However, this wasn't the first time the two companies had...

During past Nintendo Direct presentations, the main focus of Splatoon has undoubtedly been the multiplayer gameplay, leaving many caught off guard when it was announced that Nintendo's upcoming squad-based shooter would feature a single player campaign as well. Not much has been revealed about...

The MCM Comic Con - the UK's biggest popular culture event - has just finished its tenure at Birmingham's NEC, and we were lucky enough to attend. Packed with memorabilia, merchandise, cosplayers and even some famous faces from the world of film and TV, the event was well attended and a...

There's been a lot of debate in the past few days around multiple topics that are important in the world of Nintendo. The corporate 'alliance' with DeNA will bring Nintendo brands to smartphone apps, services and - notably - games, while the former will also handle a lot of the dull-but-important infrastructure work on...

Once again Famitsu has put out a weekly edition light on Nintendo news. It seems both Japan and Western territories are in a lull of significant Nintendo games. However, this edition did give us a bit more information on Splatoon - which is always welcome - and delved into Girls Mode 3 / Style Savvy 3, if...

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is just around the corner, and has caused a significant stir in the community being the first exclusive title to come to the New Nintendo 3DS. Elusive in its original Wii format, this release will give many the chance to play what was arguably the biggest game on the...

The Swindle is planned for the Wii U eShop this Summer, and it brings an interesting blend of action, platforming, strategy and humour. With a steampunk aesthetic, procedurally generated levels, its combination of styles and design approaches left us impressed in our first impressions.
When...

Until this week Nintendo's strategy for the future was particularly vague, especially in the area of smart devices. The company's supposed dedicated Mii-based app had been in the works for quite some time and had been due in 2014, but was delayed into this year with talk of finding the right solution for moving onto...

Last week we headed down to a lovely gaming event by the name of EGX Rezzed, which was held in London's charming Tobacco Dock venue. The event, hosted by our friends at Gamer Network, is a PC and developer-focused show, unlike the more mainstream and larger EGX which takes...

Nintendo has lifted the curtain, today, on a major corporate deal that dramatically adjusts its approach to smart devices, and also its future direction as a business. With Nintendo signing a major deal with DeNA to brings major IPs to smart devices, in addition to the partnership being linked to a future...

Nintendo has caused surprise and plenty of debate today by announcing a new deal with DeNA, which will focus on a variety of areas. We'll see Nintendo IP on smart devices, a Club Nintendo successor, and Satoru Iwata also re-affirmed Nintendo's focus on its own ga

The Swindle is planned for release on the Wii U eShop this Summer, and it brings an interesting blend of action, platforming, strategy and humour. With a steampunk aesthetic, procedurally generated levels, its combination of styles and design approaches left us impressed in our first...

Ever since the broadcasts began, Nintendo Direct has given fans a fix of reveals, footage and talking points about upcoming releases; so when a gap opens up between presentations, there's some nervous twitching. When is the next video coming, and will Satoru Iwata appear in front of...

Since the introduction of the iconic theme song on the NES in 1986, the body of music that has grown out of the Legend of Zelda series has been nothing short of legendary. Beginning with modest 8-bit sounds and eventually evolving into the sweeping sonatas in modern games, the songs have grown into something much more than...

Unlike last week's Famitsu magazine, this week's magazine featured much less information on upcoming Nintendo games. One Famitsu magazine each month serves as a recap magazine for the gaming news of the past month, with some new information peppered throughout. Unfortunately, this means...

Game's "success is due to the brilliant designs of the 8-bit generation"

In this short interview Nintendo Life features contributor Alan Lopez caught up with David D'Angelo of Yacht Club Games, who spoke on behalf of the entire Shovel Knight creative team.
Shovel Knight is a download-only 8-bit platformer. Alone, these qualifiers hardly separate...

Remember the 8Bitdo NES30 pad we reviewed a while back? It was a likeable take on the whole Bluetooth gaming pad concept which looked and felt like a genuine NES pad from back in the day. The makers of that particular controller are back with a revised unit, and this time it's focused on the NES' Japanese counterpart - the...

In this revived series of features we'll look at games we feel merit remakes and remasters, either to celebrate their impact or to bring them to a new audience.
The Metroid franchise is in an odd state of limbo, which we certainly hope will be resolved with an announcement of some...

This is a series of features that'll focus on games that we keep playing again and again, either over an unhealthy number of hours or those that keep getting return visits long after they first graced our systems.
It's not uncommon, if you're fortunate enough to review a major retail game, to be 'done' with...

Since the launch of the first 'wave' alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U in November 2014, Nintendo's wasted little time in promoting and expanding amiibo. Continual waves have continued to take us towards coverage of the full cast in the brawling title, while an upcoming Super Mario range will accompany...

Full video and details on combat skills, customization and party members

Nintendo and Developer Monolift Soft have made it their goal to show Japanese gamers just about everything Xenoblade Chronicles X has to offer through 30 minute online presentations; it's an admirable endeavour, even if there are no English subtitles. The last video took a...

Etrian Mystery Dungeon details, quirky Japanese games, reviews and more

Can't wait to hear more about games like Splatoon and Etrian Mystery Dungeon? As Japan's primary gaming magazine, Famitsu receives exclusive previews and reviews of Nintendo games well before the same coverage sees the light of the day elsewhere in the world. The 4th March...

Once more, we dip into the red and black-hued land of the Virtual Boy, with yet another 3D video for your enjoyment!
Do you like Punch-Out!!? Silly question, of course you do. Well, what if it was in 3D and had robots? Teleroboxer makes this dream a reality.
Watch as we duck, dip, dive duck and...

The Wii U and 3DS eShop stores have become notable improvements on their Wii and DSi predecessors, and a range of familiar and new download developers have pitched up with their wares in recent times. The last couple of years in particular have brought some fantastic games, and as Nintendo's GDC announcement made clear there's...

In recent weeks Satoru Iwata addressed shareholders in an Investor Briefing Q & A, tackling a range of issues around Nintendo's business. An issue that came up was the "digitalization" that we're seeing, with more and more gamers opting to download their games, and also seeking new...

The rise and fall of Sega Enterprises is a classic tale of hard-won success being scuppered by a bewildering lack of focus and an incredible degree of overconfidence. The company scored an almost impossible victory by bloodying the nose of the all-powerful Nintendo in the early '90s and was arguably the first console maker to bring an...

The Swindle is primarily the work of Dan Marshall and some close colleagues through Size Five Games, but due to the efforts of UK publisher Curve Digital has rapidly changed up from being another intriguing PC release to plotting a multi-platform arrival. The inclusion of the Wii U eShop is promising, as this is shaping up to be...

Just recently we published a list of five Nintendo 64 games we'd love to play on 3DS, inspired by the recent arrival of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D and its remastered predecessors, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and Star Fox 64 3D

The New Nintendo 3DS and XL are here, and it's pretty amazing. Boasting a massively improved 3D screen, extra buttons and a faster processor - not to mention those cover plates on the standard model if you're lucky enough to be in the right region - the system improves on its forerunners in pretty much every way imaginable - but battery...